Baby Ace

[gcav]

Can anyone help? Have a Corbin Baby Ace project from an estate that I would like to sell. Has been inside but needs to be restored. Can anyone tell me what the fair value for such a project would be?

Thank you.

[rwanttaja]

I'm not in the Baby Ace world, but the Ace is similar in concept to the Fly Baby (single seat, A65-powered, open cockpit, simple aircraft).

The value of partially-completed Fly Baby/Baby Ace/Pietenpol, etc. is greatly driven by the other components included in the sale...in other words, not just the completed structure, but items such as:

1. The engine (depends greatly on condition and type)
2. Wheels, tires, and brakes (brand-new would run ~$750 or more
3. Hardware such as strut fittings and turnbuckles
4. Propeller ($500 for wood, $1000 for metal, depending upon condition)
5. Instruments (call it $100 per gauge, more if new)
6. Tailwheel assembly (~$400)
7. Major components such as the wing spars

Plus unused raw materials. For both the raw materials and completed parts, much will depend on how well they've handled long-term storage. If the engine has been sitting unattended, unpickled, for thirty years, the value is going to be pretty low. If the airplane was at one point flying, the value is going to be a bit higher.

Picking a price will be tough, as even COMPLETED single-seat airplanes are pretty hard to sell. The goodies listed above have their own value, though. The level of completion will affect the value of the project, but that's hard to assess for a simple plans-built aircraft like the Ace.

ROUGHLY speaking, without knowing anything about the project and what parts are available and their condition, you're probably looking at between $1000 and $2500. If the airplane has been flying and needs restoration, it'll be worth considerably more.

But, again, single-seat airplanes are a tough sell.

Ron Wanttaja

[gcav]

Thank you, I really appreciate your thoughts. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy answer, but you have given me a reference point to start taking stock of what I have.

[Neil]

Sent you a Private Message with my E-mail. Perhaps you could send some pictures?

[highflyer]

Hi Ron,

The big problem with single seat airplanes is the "test ride" question. The normal answer is "You have to buy it first, then you can fly it!" Otherwise it really gets sticky if the prospective buyer totals it, and then decides not to buy it because it is "broken." :-)

John